The IoT Focus

By 2020, it’s estimated that there will be more than 38-billion devices connected to the internet in some way or other. Those devices form the backbone of the Internet of Things. As Wikipedia explains, The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects or “things” embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity, which enables these objects to collect and exchange data. In the IoT Focus, brought to you in association with General Electric, the Burn Media sites will explore what impact the Internet of Things is having on business, homes, startups, and other aspects of our everyday lives. You will be able to find each of the articles on this hub, as they go live.

When it comes to reporting on the Internet of Things, you’ll often see publishers referring to the massive numbers surrounding this vast network of connected sensors embedded in everyday objects.

They will, for instance, talk about the 5-billion or so connected objects which Gartner estimates are currently in existence. They’ll probably also mention that number is set to grow to 25-billion by 2020 and that Mckinsey estimates that the IoT’s impact could be worth as much as $11.1 trillion a year by 2025.

As humans become more and more reliant on technology, technology becomes more and more critical to human being’s well-being.

Think of all the technological advancements since the Industrial Revolution that have improved the mortality rate, quality of living and birth rate. The MRI, chemotherapy and even laser surgery are just a few we could mention off the bat, but something that’s becoming more entrenched in every day society is health consciousness.

Thanks to the internet of things, we can now keep track of our health without the need for a trip to the physician every day, and if we can’t necessarily make sense of the diagnosis ourselves, wearables are making doctor’s lives a lot easier too.

Data acquisition is at the crux of the Internet of Things (IoT). And no place is data so scarce and so crucial than in emerging economies. There is a dire need for data acquisition when comes to various fast-growing sectors, from climate change and health to brand advertising. With IoT becoming increasingly accessible, entrepreneurs are presented with massive opportunities to help gain insight and ultimately overcome challenges the emerging world are facing.

Africa is often referred to as the mobile continent. That’s no surprise. South Africa, for instance, is figured to have a mobile phone penetration of around 128%. Kenya, on the other hand, has over 4.5 million monthly users on Facebook, of which 95% are on mobile.

Gaming has become synonymous with the internet in the last decade, as consoles become Internet of Things devices and technology gives rise to interaction of players over a thousand miles away. It’s pretty damn cool to be fair, and although I’m not exactly an advocate for multiplayer gaming, the internet has made gaming a much richer experience.

And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

The Internet of Things, a term used that encapsulates all devices connected to the internet, will lead gaming into a completely new terrain, both literally and figuratively. But its effects have been felt for years now across the entire gaming spectrum.

National Geographic and General Electric have teamed up for Breakthrough; a new TV series which explores the latest developments in brain science, longevity, water, energy, pandemics and cyborg technology. The series’ premise is that incredible life-saving technologies have become so part of our everyday lives that we sometimes take them for granted. It therefore aims to shine a light on the most innovative technologies shaping how we live.

As global population rates continue to soar, so does our need for electricity. At the same time though, it’s increasingly obvious that we need to both step up our efforts in finding alternative sources of energy and be more intelligent about the energy we do use.

One of the best tools we have in our quest to achieve a cleaner, more efficiently-powered future is data. And thanks to the growing number of devices and everyday objects embedded with connected sensors, collectively referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT), we have more data than ever.

That data, in concert with some very smart technology is changing the way we power our cities. Here’s how.

Depending on which source you consult, factories either date back to ancient Egypt or the earliest parts of the Industrial Revolution. Either way they’ve been with us for a very long time. Of course, they’ve had to adapt. The people who worked in John Lombe‘s water-powered silk mill at Derby in the 17th Century would not, for instance, recognise a contemporary smartphone factory. Today, factories aren’t just spaces where things are built, but smart connected spaces capable of adapting on the fly and producing constant streams of data.

That change is at least in part due to the multitude of sensors embedded everywhere within factories, from the buildings themselves, to the machines running in them, and even on the people working in them.

The Internet of Things (IoT) industry as a whole has been touted as becoming a US$7.1-trillion giant by the year 2020. And around the world companies are more and more looking to this sector in becoming the next trend-setters of our world’s true data revolution.

An everyday, easy-to-understand example of IoT in action would be the Apple Watch — a fashionable device that’s strapped to your wrist and tethered to your smartphone. With a tiny display, you can send emails, hail an Uber, track your heart rate and do all sorts of cool things unimaginable a decade ago. Also unimaginable a decade ago was the ability to connect all things from cars to coffee machines and even sheep to the web.

The CNN/Multichoice African Journalist Awards was established in August 1995 to encourage, promote and recognize excellence in African journalism and it has in the span of 20 years become the most respected journalism awards in the region. Every year, over 1 600 entries in 12 Categories are received from over 40 African Countries, including English, French & Portuguese-speaking countries and the Awards ceremony is broadcast across Africa via DSTV platforms, 66 terrestrial channels in 47 African countries.

As a mark of wide acceptance and spreading influence the awards have attracted sponsorship from global brands. Renowned technology and infrastructure leader General Electric (GE) is one of such brands. GE took a strategic decision to sponsor the Energy & Infrastructure Category of the CNN awards last year.

Paul Kelemba, from Kenya, has been awarded GE Energy & Infrastructure Award, presented by Jay Ireland, President and CEO of GE Africa, at this year’s CNN Multichoice African Journalist 2015 Awards ceremony. Kelemba, who works freelance for The Standard on Saturday, won for his piece “Sorting out Nairobi Transport” which was chosen from entries spanning 39 nations across the African continent.

The Awards, which rotate location each year in tribute to their pan-African credentials, were held at a Gala ceremony hosted by CNN and Multichoice at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, in Nairobi.

African Media Initiative (AMI) and General Electric (GE) have partnered to boost media coverage in Africa of Energy and Infrastructure issues. Some 20 journalists drawn from the East Africa region will undergo basic training on the Energy sector in Africa, and on using sector data to tell impactful stories that will enrich media content and better inform citizens. The training is set to take place from 9-10 October 2015, in Nairobi, Kenya.